OU basketball finds final 2024-25 piece in Glenn Taylor Jr.

And now, officially, the OU basketball coaching staff can breathe a bit. Or at least try to take it easy. A season-ending injury to one portal addition opened the door for another to come to Norman.

Head coach Porter Moser has his guy. Former St. John’s forward Glenn Taylor Jr. announced his commitment to OU on Monday evening.

The Taylor addition became possible, and necessary, after learning the news of Jeff Nwankwo being out for the the season. Nwankwo tore his Achilles during summer workouts.

OU leaned toward experience as Taylor brings about quite a bit of that.

Taylor has played the last three seasons at Oregon State and St. John’s. Taylor averaged 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season with the Red Storm. He shot 45 percent from the field, including 42 percent from 3-point territory.

Taylor averaged just under 12 points as a sophomore with the Beavers in the 2022-23 season.

What a crazy few months. But it does, once and for all, feel like the OU roster for the 2024-25 season is set.

The Sooners added borderline five-star Jeremiah Fears over the weekend, reclassifying from 2025 class to now. And land Taylor as summer workouts are about to end. Taylor is the seventh transfer portal addition overall.

The OU roster is deep and ready. Time to see what it can do in the SEC.

OU portal commitments (all signed)

Jeff Nwankwo, F, Cowley County (juco) (2 years)

The line: 18.6 ppg, 7.0 rebs, 1.1 assts, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 49% FG, 37% 3-pt, 74% FT

Nwankwo tore his Achilles during summer workouts. He has already had surgery. However, Nwankwo is expected to miss the entire season.

Mohamed Wague, F/C, Alabama (1 season)

The line: 3.1 ppg, 2.5 rebs, 0.5 assts, 0.5 blocks, 0.5 steals, 63% FG, 50% 3-pt, 75% FT

Now you know the combo. It’s going to be Sam Godwin and Wague at the center position for OU to go along with Luke Northweather and Jalon Moore. Size and athletic ability has clearly been what OU has been aiming for in the portal. Wague gives them both if he can play at a high level. Wague was a three-star recruit by On3 for the transfer rankings. A legitimate 6-foot-10, it will be interesting if OU can get more offensive production from Wague than what he has shown.

Duke Miles, G, High Point (2 seasons)

The line: 17.5 ppg, 2.4 rebs, 3.5 assts, 0.2 blocks, 1.3 steals, 53% FG, 36% 3-pt, 80% FT

This is the type of win OU fans had been waiting for, hoping for. The kind of portal win that resonates and gets people fired up. Miles is a top-100 transfer prospect, and the way it came together? Just didn’t sound like OU. He’s an Alabama kid, who had just finished his Auburn visit Wednesday. Here comes OU in from like the backdoor in the 11th hour to steal someone else’s hometown kid. The Sooners had certainly seen that a time or two or three during this cycle. Miles is a perfect combo guard and brings a lot to the table.

Brycen Goodine, G, Fairfield (1 season)

The line: 13.9 ppg, 3 rebs, 1.4 assts, 0.3 blocks, 0.8 steals, 50% FG, 47% 3-pt, 76% FT

That is not a misprint. Goodine shot 47 percent from 3-point territory and is a volume shooter. You can see how OU is attempting to spread the floor a lot more. Goodine averaged more than five 3-pointers attempted per game and shot at that clip. He had scoring games of 40 points and 37 points last season. Goodine had four games of making at six 3-pointers. From Syracuse to Providence to Fairfield now to OU. Definitely will bring the experience, and OU fans will be hoping he’ll bring that type of shooting one more season.

Jadon Jones, G, Long Beach State (1 season)

The line: 12.1 ppg, 3.3 rebs, 1.6 assts, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, 42% FG, 38% 3-pt, 85% FT

OU is focusing hard on two-way players. Looking for the 3-and-D type of player. Jones checks those boxes (now signed), a former Defensive Player of the Year in the Big West. Jones connected on 77 3-pointers last season, shooting the 38 percent rate. The 77 makes? That’s 23 more than the most by an OU player last year (Javian McCollum, 54). Jones is one of nine players ever in the NCAA in the last 30 years to have at least 60 steals, more than 30 blocks and make at least 75 3-pointers in a season. He joins the likes of Shane Battier, Kevin Durant, Danny Green, among others.

Kobe Elvis, G, Dayton (1 season)

The line: 9.4 ppg, 2.4 rebs, 3.5 assts, 0.6 steals, 38% FG, 37% 3-pt, 85% FT

If nothing else, Elvis becomes the first player on the team with NCAA Tournament experience. Elvis was part of a Dayton squad that reached the second round of the Big Dance last month. He has plenty of experience and averaged nearly 30 minutes per game. Elvis is someone who knows how to operate in a ball-screen offense. A solid, complementary piece.